Capítulo 3: Chapter 3: First Arrival at the Lin Family
Liu Lanfang was taken aback, seemingly unprepared for her to start off by calling her mom. She knew that Yun Zhonghai had married a wealthy wife, but she hadn't expected her to be so gentle and easy to talk to.
Yun Zhonghai also came up from around the corner of the staircase, calling out somewhat awkwardly.
She responded, then let them in.
"Sit." Liu Lanfang pointed to the sofa in the living room, which was old but very clean. She knew they were coming and had tidied up the house especially for them.
Lin Xiang sat down and saw her bring over two cups of tea. She took them somewhat flustered, nervously saying, "Mom, I... I can call you that, right?"
She inwardly cursed her own weakness; she was used to the big scenes, but she hadn't expected to be this nervous meeting her elders today. She hoped not to make a fool of herself in front of her mother-in-law!
Liu Lanfang chuckled. "Of course."
Her son was unreliable, but the daughter-in-law he'd found seemed pretty good.
Yun Yue came home just as usual at this time, and paused when she saw Yun Zhonghai and Lin Xiang at home, though her expression didn't change much. She casually took off her hat, then handed over the money she'd earned to Liu Lanfang.
"Today's earnings." Liu Lanfang took it. There was more than twenty yuan. Somehow, the money Yun Yue made from collecting and selling recyclables had more than doubled this past month.
Lin Xiang and Yun Zhonghai looked puzzled at the twenty yuan note and several one-yuan notes. Where had she gotten them from?
"Mom, this must be Yueyue, right? Just like you described over the phone, she's so sweet and cute," Lin Xiang said awkwardly as she stood up, her eyes fixated on Yun Yue. She was plainly dressed,
at around one meter sixty-five, unhealthily skinny, with a sallow complexion. Lin Xiang couldn't help but frown and shoot Yun Zhonghai a fierce glare!
It's all your doing! You've let the child grow up like this!
Sweet and cute?
Yun Yue raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on Lin Xiang. She was certainly much better looking than her no-good father. How could she have been so blind to fall for her dad!
"Yueyue, this is your dad and Aunt Lin." Liu Lanfang introduced them, asking her to sit on the sofa to keep Lin Xiang company while she went to the kitchen to cook.
Lin Xiang offered to help, but Liu Lanfang explained she wouldn't know how to use the stove, so Lin Xiang awkwardly returned to the sofa.
Yun Yue lazily leant on the sofa, playing with her phone. Lin Xiang tried several times to speak but didn't know what to say; all she could hear were the sounds coming from Yun Yue's phone.
Her phone looked bulky, thick like a massive brick. Lin Xiang had never seen one like it before and thought it must be a very old model.
"Yueyue, what game are you playing?"
Eventually, she couldn't resist asking, recognizing the sounds that were somewhat familiar. It sounded like Ze Xuan was also playing the game, something called Demon... Path. She thought it might be something they could talk about.
"Demon Path." Yun Yue continued to play, her slender and beautiful fingers tapping slowly on the screen.
Lin Xiang's eyes lit up. "Demon Path! I've heard of this game, it's been really popular on PC and mobile for the last two years. My... your brother also plays it. Maybe you two can team up together."
Yun Yue seemed to hum in response, but Lin Xiang didn't quite catch it. Regardless, now that they had started chatting, she had no intention of stopping and was quite talkative.
It was all her talking and Yun Yue listening, when Yun Yue was asked she would answer.
Yun Zhonghai watched Yun Yue's indifferent attitude and several times wanted to chide her but was immediately silenced by a glare from Lin Xiang.
She finally had a daughter, but she didn't want him to mess it up.
At the dinner table, Lin Xiang was enthusiastic. The meal was very sumptuous today with chicken, duck, and fish all served. Lin Xiang served her with a smile, "Yueyue, eat more, you're too thin, Mom, you should eat more too."
Yun Yue looked at the meal in her bowl and frowned. It was twice her usual amount, but she had always hated wasting food, so she gritted her teeth and finished it.
"Mom, why don't you come to the city with Yueyue? I've got the room ready, and I'll treat you and Yueyue just like my own mother and daughter. If only Zhonghai hadn't kept it a secret, I would have brought you over sooner!"
The more Lin Xiang thought about it, the angrier she got. She had been married to Yun Zhonghai for over a decade, and he was so good at keeping secrets! He had kept her and their grandmother and granddaughter apart for so long.
Yun Zhonghai felt very wronged. If he had known she would react like this, he would have spoken up sooner, and it would not have come to this point!
"I won't go. I'm not used to living in the city. It's enough for Yueyue to go," Liu Lanfang shook her head. She would feel too constrained if she were there.
"But you have to come! Yueyue was raised by you, and we would all worry if you stayed here alone. You should at least try living there for a while. If you're not comfortable, we can always bring you back," Lin Xiang insisted urgently, nudging Yun Zhonghai with her elbow.
"Yes, Mom, come and stay for a while. Aren't you too attached to Yueyue to let her go? It would be good for you to spend some time with her," Yun Zhonghai said quickly after swallowing his food.
After a moment of hesitation, Liu Lanfang spoke up, "Then, I'll come and stay for a short while."
She really couldn't bear to part with Yueyue, and she knew her granddaughter had a peculiar temperament, so she would need to watch over her for a while.
Yun Yue put down her eating utensils and stood up, as if she had known Liu Lanfang would agree, "I'll go pack."
"I'll help you," Lin Xiang said happily. Now she would have both a daughter and a mother. She followed Yun Yue into her room and noticed how simple it was, with a bookshelf filled with books, even more than Xuan Ze's—clearly, a studious good child.
Yun Yue pulled out a black backpack and stuffed her laptop and various other items into it, which surprised Lin Xiang.
"Is that...all?" Lin Xiang looked at her black backpack. She had only packed a set of clothes, right? But upon thinking about her situation, Lin Xiang understood and smiled, "As long as you're ready, when we get to the city, Aunt Lin will buy you new clothes and shoes."
After they finished packing, without further delay, at nine o'clock in the evening, a BMW car pulled into a villa.
"Master, Madam."
Sister Li greeted them with a smile as she walked out from the villa's main gate, her eyes landing on Yun Yue and Liu Lanfang.
She had been with the Lin family for a long time and was very reliable. She managed all of the Lin Family's household affairs.
"Where's Xuan Ze?" She sounded a bit upset—her sister had arrived, so why wasn't he there to greet them?
"The young master is playing video games," Sister Li thought that the young master was probably going to be scolded again. She could tell the madam cared more for this young lady than for her own son. It seemed like tough times lay ahead.
However, she totally understood the madam's feelings—she had always hoped to have a daughter of her own. Although this girl was the master's daughter and not related by blood to the madam, one could tell that the madam truly regarded her as her own daughter by her attitude.
Once inside, they changed into slippers that Lin Xiang had prepared early on, and Yun Yue looked down at her feet—so pink!
"Have a seat, and make yourself at home," Lin Xiang invited them with a smile. Liu Lanfang looked around at the exquisite decor of the villa, slightly unsure of what to do and anxious for fear of damaging anything.
Yun Yue leaned back on the sofa, sitting sluggishly, and took out her phone.
"Fuck!" Lin Xuanze was likely losing in his game. He cursed as he exited the game and looked up abruptly to find someone sitting opposite him!
A girl!
Was it his sister?
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder